That Face

 

How can you not love that face? Effie at 8 months. 

Willets in flight

 

I always have trouble getting sharp pictures of birds in flight. It is still a work in progress. Even though this isn't sharp, I like the colors and the sense of motion of these Willets, a shorebird that I rarely have seen in flight. Taken near my Marriott in Newport Beach. 

Good Morning Mockingbird

 

Wow. A bird that posed for me. That almost never happens. This one let itself be back lit, with no branches in the way and with beautiful lighting all around. Actually, the mockingbird is a good poser. It will occasionally sit up high somewhere in the open. During the Spring they sing like crazy. All kinds of other bird's songs. So, you usually hear them before you see them. They seem to sing the same pattern three times in a row and then another song in a pattern of three. On and on. They don't sing so much in the fall and winter. Anyway, this is a new favorite shot. 

Some Hermosa Beach Color

 

Just some color from a Hermosa Beach lifeguard stand to warm a cold midwestern day.

Side Trips: that's how I live

 

I don't know how other people do it but side trips is how I survive the road. Heading to California this week and I end up in the desert near Palm Springs. Not far from there is a big birding area, Salton Sea and not far from there is Joshua Tree National Park. Extending the trip into the weekend gets me a visit to both of those areas. This shot is from a visit to Joshua Tree that I did back in 2014. Looking forward, weather and work permitting, to seeing it again. 

San Francisco's Chinatown

 

First trip back to San Francisco since COVID and just like the recent trips to NYC, the city is the same, yet different. Some missing store fronts, but most were opened. Some more homeless which is just sad. Got to walk around Chinatown and get a touristy Chinese dinner. I did pass an authentic Chinese restaurant with lots of locals but the menu seemed intimidating and I didn't want to deal with it. I bet the food was pretty good. My choice wasn't. 

The colors of mid-fall

 

While most fall photography is all about the greens, yellows and reds, once the winds blow through, fall is mostly about the browns. You can appreciate them too, while still preferring the bright colors of the early fall season. A field of browns can also look quite beautiful. 

Some wind perhaps?

 

Hard to show the wind in a picture but this one gives it a go with the winds whipping up and stretching out the clouds. Winds were down today but still strong up in the atmosphere. Temps were the cause with it being in the 60's the past few days and now dropping into the 30s and still warm 50s during the day. 

A Good Message

 

A good message from a walk around in San Francisco, especially good perhaps during an election week. 

White-headed Woodpecker

 

It has been difficult to get bird pictures while doing hikes in National Parks. Don't know why but haven't been very successful. Probably moving too quickly and for birding you have to stand around a bit and let the birds come to you. I was able to do that with this White-headed Woodpecker, one of several new birds I was able to see last week in Yosemite (The new birds included the Acorn Woodpecker, California Scrub Jay, Hermit Thrush and the Mountain Chickadee). 

Acorn Woodpecker

 

This was a new bird for me but once I saw it up in the mountains in Northern California, I saw them everywhere. An Acorn Woodpecker and on this tree, with tons of acorns hammered in safe and sound for the winter. Oh my! A beautiful bird with white and black wings, that flash of red on its head and very distinctive eyes. Pretty bird. This shot is from a trip up Mount Diablo between Oakland and Sacramento. Luckily, I got to drive up the mountain, as there were many bikers hitting this 7 mile or longer trail. Very challenging.